SAN JOSE — Sister City ties are economic boosterism to some and wasteful junkets to others, but some San Jose officials are suggesting a new role of social activism.

Three City Councilmen proposed Wednesday that San Jose use its two-plus decades tie with Ekaterinburg to denounce recent anti-gay propaganda legislation by the Russian Federation, seen as unfair to gays, lesbians bisexual and transgender people.

“We recognize the fact that the actions of the Russian Federation do not represent the beliefs or views of all Russian people or the residents and officials of Ekaterinburg,” said Councilman Ash Kalra, who was joined in the proposal by Councilmen Pete Constant and Xavier Campos. “However, this is a great opportunity for San Jose to engage in meaningful dialogue with Ekaterinburg about the need to protect the equal rights of all citizens, including the LGBT community.”

Activists have been asking communities with Russian Sister Cities to sever those ties in protest. But the councilmen didn’t think the city needed to take such an extreme measure to make its point.

“We certainly don’t want to condemn a Sister City relationship for residents who have nothing to do with what their government does,” Kalra said. “This is a better route that allows us to maintain our relationship with the residents of Ekaterinberg.”

The city’s Rules and Open Government Committee, which sets council meeting agendas, voted 2-1 to recommend the proposal for future council consideration, with Vice Mayor Madison Nguyen and Councilwoman Rose Herrera in support. Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio was opposed, arguing the committee should wait to hear from Mayor Chuck Reed, who was attending a conference.

Ekaterinburg, also known as Yekaterinburg, is a major city in central Russia with about 1.3 million residents known for machinery and metal processing.

The Sister Cities program started in 1956 when President Eisenhower proposed a citizen diplomacy initiative to spread American goodwill abroad and foster mutual understanding and cooperation.

San Jose was an early participant, establishing its first relationship in 1957 with Okayama, Japan. A half dozen others followed: San Jose, Costa Rica in 1961; Veracruz, Mexico, and Tainan, Taiwan, in 1975; Dublin, Ireland, in 1986; and Pune, India, and Ekaterinburg, Russia, in 1992.

The relationships historically focused on cultural exchanges, helping to improve international diplomacy. Once the two cities ratify the relationship, they can be officially recognized by Sister Cities International, the Washington, D.C., non-profit that manages the program.

Reed in 2007 sought to refocus San Jose’s Sister Cities ties with an emphasis on economic development.

San Jose officials say the program delivers tangible benefits. In the two decades since Dublin became San Jose’s Sister City, the Ireland capital has become a European technology powerhouse with several San Jose companies establishing European offices there.

Still, government watchdogs and other critics have dismissed it as just a way for city officials to travel abroad on the taxpayer’s dime. Bloggers in recent days have raised eyebrows at the number of San Jose officials joining this year’s Sister City trip to Dublin, including Kalra, Campos, Herrera, Councilman Johnny Khamis and City Manager Debra Figone, who is retiring in December.

Joe Hedges, San Jose’s international program manager who oversees the Sister Cities program, said the ties to Ekaterinburg are “strong” and that “it’s been a very productive relationship,” though he didn’t elaborate. He supported the proposal to condemn the anti-gay law while maintaining the Sister City relationship but said the council might want to consider whether the protest is better left to the federal government.

But Martha O’Connell, who chairs the city’s Senior Citizens Commission, which advises on issues affecting the elderly, said “I feel it’s very important for this city to make moral statements.”

The seven adult children of David and Louise Turpin, the couple accused of abusing and imprisoning them for years at their Perris home, have been released from the hospital, their attorney said Monday.

The law and responding challenge set up a confrontation sought by abortion opponents, who are hoping federal courts will ultimately prohibit abortions before a fetus is viable. Current federal law does not.